King's Own Daughter
by insanityisanart
Summary: Kel's daughter finds her place in the world.
1. Terrors of the Castle

"I swear to all the gods Goldenlake, if you're using your magic again I will throw you in the river! You know that's cheating!" A young boy, not much more than seven pulled back another set of drapes in the long, deserted hall, grunting from the effort of moving the heavy fabric. Dust drifted down from the top fringe, where no one ever thought to clean, joining the specks already covering the child's shoulders and head, turning his black hair grey. A giggle escaped from a indent in the wall further down.

"It's only cheating if you get caught!" The girl who faded out of the wall took off running down the hall, laughing as the boy tried to catch up. "Does your Mama know you're talking like that? It's not proper for a prince!" Chikako of Goldenlake and New Hope was easily outpacing the young prince as they raced. Her hair was lighter than his by a few shades, and not covered in quite as much dust. Each wore comfortable breeches, well made shirts, and colorful tunics, with leather boots made for use. A long braid flew out behind her, swinging side to side violently with each step. Footsteps and laughter echoed through the hall, bounding off of columns and flagstones unused to shouts of joy. Stopping abruptly the girl grabbed onto a door handle and pulled, seeking to hide within from her relentless pursuer. The door didn't budge under her hand when she pulled. Frowning the girl was about to let go and run again when her friend crashed into her, unable to stop running as quickly as she had. The door swung inward and the two tumbled into the room in a cloud of dust.

The boy got up first, groaning. With one hand holding his head he reached out and tapped the shoulder of the girl. "I got you."

"Not fair Xander! You didn't have to push me."

"You stopped too quick!" The girl got to her feet and stuck her tongue out at the boy, then reached out a hand to help him up.

"Where are we?" The pair glanced around the room, squinting to see in the dim light. It was a chapel of some sort, with rows of benches leading up to a dusty altar. On the altar rested a golden disk, the Sun Disk of Mithros, flanked by golden candlesticks and resting on a cloth of golden chain mail. A window high in the wall let in a ray of sunlight that landed on an iron door carved into the rock wall at the front of the room. Despite the warmth of the day outside the children's breath showed in the rooms cool air. A shiver went up the princes spine, but the girl stood transfixed by the ethereal beauty of the room. Slowly she took a step toward the door. A muffled click broke the silence of the room as great iron door slid open on unseen hinges. Xander reached forward to grasp his friends hand, and both of them felt an instinctive draw toward the empty chamber. Their feet made the only sound in their small world as they walked down the row of polished benches. Pausing at the threshold each took a deep breath and looked to the other. A full range of emotions played across the eyes of the seven-year-olds, fear, fascination, apprehension, and an insatiable curiosity. Chiko was the first to move, squaring her jaw and stepping into the room, never dropping Xander's hand. Just a half step behind the boy followed her as the iron door slammed shut behind them with a resounding clang. Nothing was left but darkness and the warmth of their joined hands.

 _The pair stood in a clearing surrounded by trees. A light wind rippled the grass and meadow flowers around their feet, and the trees stood as tall as any in the Royal Forest. A small stream bubbled its way through the meadow, providing water to the plants shooting up along its banks. Despite the peaceful serenity and air of familiarity somehow Chiko knew they weren't in Tortall. The mountains were in the wrong place, silhouetted by the moon against stars brighter than any in Corus, and the breeze smelled different. A tug against her hand reminded her that she was not alone, but when she looked back Xander was no longer with her. Instead of a boy of seven she held the hand of a full grown man. Panic started to rise in her throat until she met the sapphire blue eyes she had come to know so well in her months at the palace. Instead of the glee and mischief that normally occupied their hidden recesses she saw confusion and apprehension. Glancing down she saw that she was not a child any longer either, but a woman grown. Each had a sword hanging from their hip and were dressed in serviceable mail and dark tunics. Turning, still clutching at Xander's hand, Chiko saw a cottage, simple in construction but sound, resting back in the trees. A small chimney released wispy grey smoke into the night sky and the glow of a single candle was visible through the cracks in the shutter boards._

 _Suddenly the scene shifted, dissolving and reforming so they stood instead on a flat plain, bare of grass or trees or any life as far as they could see. Dirt settled around their feet, seeming as if it had never been stirred by so much as a breath in all of history. A lined face formed in the dirt before them, lined and sexless it seemed ancient and powerful, with eyes that glinted yellow._ Mortals _, a voice echoed in Chiko's skull, and Xander flinched as if he heard the same,_ you are young to be entering here. _The voice mirrored the face, ancient and powerful, indistinguishable from time itself. In her mind the voice bordered on uncomfortable, but still she was curious._

 _Chiko swallowed as she tried to speak, breaking the deafening silence of the land. "Where are we?"_ _When the words finally came out it was not her voice which spoke, but a woman's voice, one that did not sound too dissimilar to her mother's._

You are in the chamber of ordeal. _A note of what may have been humor touched the ghostlike voice._ _Xander's eyes went wide as he started to tug on Chikos arm, trying to pull her back towards a door that was no longer there. His lips had turned inward and she could tell he was biting down to secure them. Sweat had formed on his brow in the few seconds they had been standing there since the voice had spoken, and there was fear in his eyes. Despite Xanders obvious distress Chiko felt a wave of calm pass over her, pleasant and confusing as she stared at the unmoving face._

 _"What is the chamber of ordeal, and who are you?" The girl asked, turning back to the face in the dirt and pulling the man that was Xander back toward her._

The Chamber of Ordeal is the proving ground for all of your countries knights. _The voice seemed amused by her question, as if it had never been questioned before._ I am in essence the chamber, but I am much more besides. I am not of your world, not bound by time, existing outside your universes bowl of reality. _Chiko stared at the face in the dirt, feeling its yellow eyes peering into her soul. Some small part of her brain, and Xander pulling on her arm, told her she ought to be afraid, but she was fascinated._ You should return to your families' young ones. I shall see you again. _Xander's tug on her arm was painful now as the plain started to fade away._ Perhaps sooner than most. _Chiko was almost sure the last comment had been directed solely at her._

As soon as the stone door closed behind them Xander dashed for the wooden chapel door. Chiko stood a moment, still enthralled by the experience they had just had. "Kiko!" She heard her friend calling her from the safety of the hallway. "Come on, we need to get outa here!" Turning from the door she bowed to the shield of Mithros on the altar, an act of deference her mother had told her ought to be observed when dealing with any gods, and with a last thought turned and bowed to the Chamber. She wasn't sure what the face had been, but it had power, and it was probably not amiss to respect that.

The walk back to the main portion of the castle was quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Xander was the first to break the silence.

"We can't tell anyone about this." His voice still held a hint of fear.

"Why not?" Chiko felt a hand grip her arm, pulling her to a stop.

"Because. It's not allowed! The Chamber is for squires, the ones about to become knights. No one else is supposed to go in there." He shook his head and sighed. "Father would be mad. Grandfather would be furious. He takes these things very seriously."

"But we have to tell Tony. He'll be mad he missed this." Xander shook his head again.

"Not even Tony, nobody. Promise?" Chiko stared at the boy, seeing the fear in his eyes, aging them past his seven year old's face. Finally she sighed.

"Promise. I won't tell." He grinned then, and the moment was forgotten. By the time they reached the hall where their rooms were the pair were already planning that afternoons adventures.


	2. Choices

Second company rode into the palace courtyard in a thunder of hooves on paving stones. They had just returned from a relief mission, helping a village to the east rebuild after a fire took out half of the homes. Lady Knight Keladry of New Hope had rode with them, her first mission since her second child had been born, and as she dismounted her husband, Domitan, couldn't help but laugh.

"Did you help or just play in the ashes?" His voice carried over the din of the arriving men, and Kel looked around until she saw him moving toward her in the crowed, then grinned, teeth white against her soot streaked face.

"Well none of the men have let me touch a hammer since I was a squire. I believe I still have you to thank for that." She pulled of her gloves and threw them into a saddle bag. "And if I'm no help building I may at least have a little fun. I heard ashes are good for your skin, figured I would give it a try. We never were above the latest skin treatments, were we? Mithros knows we tried the mud enough." Dom laughed and pulled the Lady Knight into an embrace. She held him tightly, the last few weeks on the road had been harder than any before.

"Well, somehow I think that water might be the best skin treatment for you right now." He joked, wiping soot from her cheek with his thumb. She nodded.

"All I could think of the last ten miles or so was a bath. A nice one with hot water." She sighed. "Do you think you can get someone to draw one up for me? I need to take care of my horses, and then I'll be up. I'm giving the men the rest of the day off. Trust me, they've earned it. I have to report to the King about the state of the village later, but I was hoping we might have some time as a family this evening." Dom nodded.

"I'll make sure it's nice and hot for you, and I'll round up Chiko, she and her friends are up to something. Not quite sure what, but Tony went with, so it can't be that horrible." Kel simply shook her head and steered her horse toward the stables, to tired to worry about her daughter's antics for the moment. As Dom walked back through the crowd of people and horses he greeted a few of the men, those he had known and trained. He was happy to have their little family together again, it had been hard in the two weeks Kel had been gone, but he knew that he had no room to complain. Several times in the past year he had left her alone with the new baby and their rambunctious ten-year-old, who he knew was likely off getting into trouble somewhere. But that was the reality of their lives, they were lucky with both the second and third companies were both in residence at the same time, otherwise one of them was always gone, leading the Own in rescues, patrols, or battles.

They wouldn't trade it though he knew. Both of them were devoted to the Own, they had been for years. Luckily moving to the castle had provided a way for them to raise their family and keep their roles in the kingdom. With Kel as Lady Knight Commander and him Captain of the third their lives would always be busy, and having the security of their family and friends in court surrounding them meant that their children would always be cared for. As he was climbing the stairs to the family's quarters he passed Kelasria darted past him, hair streaming out behind her as it came out of its braid.

"Ria!" He called to the girl as she took the stairs two at a time. Instantly she halted, Dom had to smile at how much page training had already affected the girl. She turned to look at him, about to launch into her two minute 'how may I serve you sir' speech, an annoying habit she had gotten into as a form of protest against ridiculous requests. He cut her off before he had to listen to it again. "If you see my daughter, send her up please. The second is back."

"Of course! Tell Auntie Kel hi for me." Ria grinned, still missing one of her teeth from a training session earlier in the summer, then continued her haphazard descent down the stairs.

"Mama!" A tall girl with straw in her brown hair came running into the families chambers, not bothering to close the door behind her. "You're home!" She launched herself into the older woman's arms, getting dust and straw all over her mother, fresh from the baths. Kel laughed and held her daughter close, then dropped her back to her feet and brushed bits of straw from her previously clean clothes.

"Where have you been?" The girl looked a little sheepish.

"Tony and Xander and Ria and I were in the stables." She rocked back onto her heels and clasped her hands behind her back. "Rikash was there too. Xander hid in Pride's stall, and we convinced Rikash to try and see if he could talk to animals again. They had a whole conversation about the color of the hay, and Xander made 'Pride' say that the reason none of the animals ever talked to him before was because they didn't like the way his nose was shaped. You should have seen Rikki's face." Chiko giggled, echoed by Dom from across the room. Kel glared at her husband.

"Chiko, that wasn't very nice to Rikash." Kel turned back to her daughter. "Isn't he a bit sensitive when it comes to the wild magic?" Chiko shook her head.

"He and Sara got in a fight about it a few weeks ago, and he figured out how to turn himself into a bird after, using his magic. He said he never wants to do it again, and prefers his own skin and human conversation. Plus he got us back." She reached up to pull down a straw that was scratching at her face. "He leaned over the stall door, saw Xander, and figured it out. Then he dropped a whole thing of hay on us from the loft. That's why I was so late, we had to dig ourselves out, then shovel it back up where it belongs. Rikki refused to help with his magic, but we kinda deserved it. Nobody is mad though, we were just having fun."

"I thought I told you to keep them out of trouble." Kel looked over her daughters dust covered shoulder to where Dom was bouncing their year old son on his knee. He just shrugged.

"Honestly, even if I had known that was what they were up to I probably wouldn't have stopped them. You and Neal were up to much worse at their age. I'm just glad the put the hay back, we would have heard it from the hostlers." Kel sighed and returned her gaze to the girl.

"Go wash up, and don't forget behind your ears!"

"Yes, mother." Chiko gave her a cheeky smile and dashed into her room to find a basin. Kel turned to her husband, who peeled himself out of his chair, setting the baby in his crib, and slid across the room, enveloping her in a hug. Gently she felt his lips brush the top of her head, then her forehead, before his callused hands lifted her chin and she met his lips. Quiet moments were few and far between for them now, and Kel relished the peace of it. With two children and hundreds of men to command time was short and peace was hard to come by. Even as Chiko was beginning to grow, nearing the age when she would have to leave for training they had another new child to raise. Kel didn't want her daughter to leave, she was still so young. In her head she knew that Chiko was no younger than she herself had been when she started page training, but as a mother she didn't want to let her daughter go. A selfish part of her hoped Chiko would choose the riders and stay with her for five more years.

"Has Chiko mentioned putting any thought into her future?" Kel muttered, laying her head on Dom's shoulder. "It's nearly time to start making arrangements if she wants to train as a page or go to the convent, or the City of the Gods." Dom shook his head.

"She hasn't said anything to me. Most of the time she's out with the horses or training with the men of the own. They've made her their pet project I think. She's surprisingly good though. The first week I saw her the sword she was using seemed bigger than she was, and she could barely hold it off the ground. Now, she can run through some of the easier drills without stopping." He chuckled. "And I doubt she wants to go to the convent, she and Ria got in a fight with some of the older pages after one told them they were missing their skirts. Milord gave them punishment work, even though Chiko isn't technically under his command, but I would not have wanted to be those boys. He told me later he had this whole speech planned, but in the end just pointed out that they got soundly beaten by two younger girls and gave them their punishment work." Kel groaned

"She's starting fights already?"

"No, I'd say given Ria's temper she was probably just backing up her friend." He pulled his head back and grinned. "Oh, Meathead is going to be furious!" Kel gave him a quizzical look. "Our lovely daughter managed to beat his record, she got punishment work before she was even a page."

"This is not a record I really wanted her to break." Kel murmured.

"So did you get the village built mama?" Chiko slid back into the room, squeezing water from her now clean hair with a towel. She would still need a visit to the baths, but Kel figured a slightly damp daughter was as good as she was going to get for now.

"Chiko, do you have time to talk for a bit?" Kel kept her voice even, not wanting the girl to know how she felt about her growing up.

"Of course." She abandoned the towel and sat down in one of the large chairs that filled the room, letting her hair fall in wet strips to her shoulders. Kel figured she would want to cut it soon.

"The summer is almost over, and most of your friends have already decided where they are heading in the fall. I was just wondering if you had put any thought into the matter." Kel's hazel eyes rested on the girl, fidgeting in her chair. Unlike her mother, Chiko had never been to the Yamani Isles, and had not learned to be still and calm as a stone. Instead, she had her father and uncle's family traits.

"But I don't have to worry about that for a few more years." Confusion spread across her face. "I can't start training until I'm 15. I was just going to keep working on my swordsmanship and riding for a while. I could probably use some help with archery too, but the Own has been really helpful." Kel felt a knot release in her stomach, Chiko was going to try for the riders. I would have been nice to have another knight in the family, but somewhere in her heart Kel knew that wasn't the path for her daughter.

"I'll ask Shinko if some of the riders might be able to show you their ponies some time. They're different than the big warhorses you're used to." Chiko glanced at her mother.

"Okay. I guess it would be useful to know how to work with them, the riders and the Own work together a lot, but wouldn't it be better just to focus on riding the big horses. That's more what I'm going to need." The knot which had just dissolved from Kel's stomach returned as she realized what her daughter meant.

"Chiko, you know that the Own is still restricted to men only."

"That's just because no one has tried." The girl swung her legs over the arm of her chair and started braiding one of the damp sections of hair. "I'm sure Uncle Roald would get his dad to let me in."

Dom and Kel exchanged glances. While the kingdom had come a ways since Alanna the Lioness had won her shield, the King's Own had always been exclusively male. Until Lord Raoul hardly anything about the force had changed, and even his changes had been more in function than in form. The marriage ban had been lifted for command staff only after months of debate and personal favors called in.

"You're the knight commander, and you're a woman." Chiko let her braid fall back into place. "They can't say no."

"Wouldn't you be happier as a knight?" Dom prodded. "All of your friends are heading that way. Or training your gift. The University or the City of the Gods also accept students your age. Numair would probably train you if you wanted."

"I don't know. I just don't really want to be a knight. I like the Own. It's what I know." She glanced at her parents. "I've been training with them for years now. I know how to be in the Own. I'd be good at it." Her face began to flush a bit, anger rising. "I bet I could beat all of the applicants you've had this year!"

"Chiko." Her father's voice was calm and reasonable. "Most of the men who join the own are younger sons of noble houses. They've been training with the men-at-arms in their fief since they were five. They've also quite a bit bigger than you. If you fought one of them today, while I'm sure you would do very well, they would win. And so would anyone you meet in battle. The Own doesn't accept ten-year-olds for a reason. They see more combat than any other division." The beginning of tears welled up in the girls eyes. "I'm not saying this to discourage you. But you're not ready."

"I know I'm not. I have five years to get ready." She choked down the tears that threatened to spill out.

"Chiko," Kel's voice was soft. "You know the Own has an application. You have to compete for your spot." The girl nodded, trying to appear resilient. "If you go through page training, no you don't have to get your shield." She cut the girl off as she tried to open her mouth. "That will teach you to fight, better than even the Own could at this point. Plus you'll be with your friends. If you do that, I'll speak to the King, and to Roald and Raoul. I'll see if by the time you are old enough we can change the rules, let women serve."

Chiko nodded again, then slid out of her chair, crossed the room, and hugged her mother. "Thank you, I won't let you down."


	3. Never to Be

"Pages who visit the Chamber of Ordeal never become knights." When her page sponsor had explained the legends of the castle to her at dinner Chiko had been less than interested, since she likely knew as many or more of them than the older page did after five years of palace life. That one sentence however, it had stuck with her, filling her thoughts for hours. Now, several bells past lights out, she found herself sneaking through the lower level of the palace, searching for the one hallway she had not visited in years. As she turned a final corner memory came rushing back, the same tapestries hung over the same tiled floor. In the silence of the night she could almost hear the laughs still echoing off ancient walls.

Her feet sounded like thunderclaps to her ears as she tried to quiet her movements down the hall, guided by the light of her gift. Finally, after what had seemed like ages she reached the sturdy wooden door. Her hand froze just before grabbing the handle. Legend said that if she went any farther she gave up any chance she had at becoming a knight. Resolve flooded her, beating back the doubt that had surfaced. Just that morning she had explained to her mother a final time that she would not continue past page training. Her heart was with the King's Own, and she was determined to be the first woman to join them, even if her mother was already the first to lead them. The handle was cold as she grasped it, despite the heat of the late summer day. She took one final glance at the tapestries in the hall, heroic scenes of knights performing great deeds, and pushed the door inward.

As before the chapel lay in silent solemnity, a fine layer of dust covering surfaces that had not been used since midwinter. Her footsteps were muffled as she walked toward the inlaid door, not even pausing to give proper respect to the shield of Mithros shining on the altar. As she stood before the wall in which she knew the chamber lay she finally stopped and though. Why had she even come here? Some part of her felt almost guilty. All of the other pages who were in training with her, friends she had known for years or hours, and those she hadn't decided if she liked so far, all of them were seeking a knight's shield. She felt like an imposter, knowing she would be leaving after four years, never taking a squires position, never facing the ordeal. When she was seven and she and Xander had wandered into the chamber it had told her it would see her again. She knew it was crazy but she felt like she needed to explain herself to the chamber, tell it why she would never face its test, and face judgement on her actions.

But the door remained closed. Rubbing her sweaty palms on the hose she had been given just that day by the palace quartermaster Chiko took a step forward and placed her hands on the door. An electric shock radiated from her palms through her body, and she could not pull away as she felt herself falling.

 _A scene formed around her as the world stopped spinning, a level field near a rushing river. Hundreds of riders descended from an embankment at the far end, riding hard toward her and twenty men clustered around her. "Orders?" One man called out, echoed by others with terror pasted on their faces. All of the men looked to her with anticipation and fear, seeking leadership. The riders were closer now, she could see the sweat flicking off of their horses. Still her brain would not give her a plan. She thought back to every story her mother had ever told her, of how her forces, small and severely outnumbered, had beaten back enemies intent on wiping them from the face of the earth. None would come to her though, death and destruction were all she could think of._ NO. _She screamed at herself in her head._ These men need me _. She stuck her sword point down in the grass as a plan came to her in a rush. "Archers, take what you can, the reset of you ring around the archers, hamstring the horses if you can, get the men on our level." Chiko herself grabbed the strung bow that had been slung over her shoulder and plucked arrows from the quiver at her waist. The enemy were in range now, and her archers began to take them. Five fell in the first volley, with two more injured, a second volley took seven off their horses. Arrow after arrow flew down range, adrenaline and self-preservation increasing the aim of the men, and by the time the thundering horses reached their men only about forty-five remained to fight. Arrows continued, slower and more deliberate, as men with swords began batting back attacks and trying to knock as many as they could from their mounts. Chiko's hand went to her quiver again and grasped only empty air. With a curse she tossed aside her bow and took up the sword in front of her. Other archers were doing the same, joining the ranks of those defending the remaining archers._

 _The enemy leader and about ten of his still mounted troops broke off from the battle and swung around. They broke into a gallop, racing straight toward the group of Chiko's soldiers. At the last minute the girl and her men scattered, trying to regroup behind, but enemy swordsman had cut them off. Chiko stood alone fighting a mountain of a man with a sword as long as she was tall. Suddenly her sword felt like lead in her arms. Years of lessons with her Uncle Raoul and the Own escaped her memory and she felt like she was five years old again, not ten and starting her training as a page. She barely stepped out of the way as the massive sword swung down at her, dodging a blow from another opponent at the same time. A second swing from the huge man caught her left shoulder in a glancing blow. She could feel blood start to run beneath her chain mail, and the arm hung limp at her side._ I will not die here. _The stubborn part of her screamed within her head._ Not today. _With her good arm Chiko swung her sword around to counter the next blow, sending it off to the side. Her whole body rang with the impact, and the pain from her bad shoulder was excruciating, but again she blocked as the next blow rained down. She picked up the pace, forcing the enemy onto the defense, until one of her attacks landed, slicing open his sword arm. With a resounding roar the man raised his sword to the sky with his good arm, and signaled a retreat. What remained of the enemy pulled back from the field, just eighteen remained of their original hundred. Chiko slumped, using her sword as a cane to support her injured body._

 _Cries of "help" reached her ears and she turned back to her own men. Of the twenty she had started with only thirteen still stood. Her heart wrenched. The pain in her arm was nearly unbearable, fighting with her for consciousness, yet she was still supposed to lead these fighters. Her head swam with every heartbeat as more blood pooled under her mail. Every inch of her wanted to lay down, to sleep. Even if she were to meet the Black God surely that would be better than continuing with the way things were. The men stared at her with hollowed eyes, and despite the fear and pain she felt she lifted her foot to go to their side._

With a start Chiko felt the wall release her. Stumbling back she fell to the ground and scooted away as the great stone door swung open just as it had three years before. Her shoulder ached where the sword had caught her during the battle, and she pulled aside her tunic and shirt to check the area, keeping one eye on the Chamber. Smooth, unbroken skin lay where the wound should have been, but not even a bruise explained the pain she felt. Rubbing the aching area she stood and once again walked into the Chambers dark embrace.

 _The plain was as she remembered, dry, windless, and unending. Not even a single tree broke the horizon as far as she could see in all directions. Before her feet a lined, ageless face appeared in the dirt, unchanged from her memory._

 _"What was that?" She questioned before the being could speak. "Why did I see that battle? Was it real? Why isn't my arm bleeding?"_

One question at a time mortal. _The voice from her childhood rang through her head._ You saw a possibility, what may lay ahead should you choose this path. It was an illusion, real while you were in its grasp, but the effects last only while you are there. The lessons however, will stay. You needed to be sure of your course. Now, you wished to speak with me? _Chiko could almost hear a note of amusement in the Chambers voice. She shook her head. "Honestly it seems silly now. I was going to tell you I would not be coming to see you for my knighthood. I don't know, I just felt like I should tell you. If I had known you were going to do that I never would have come."_

I have always known you would not seek your shield mortal. That is not the path you walk. You needed to see the illusion to know what you will face. You also proved something, you are capable of altering the illusion. No other person who has faced a challenge such as that has been able to escape its grasp, to win, not even your mother. They prove their strength and courage by fighting, by trying, but none ever succeed. _Chiko stared at the face in the dirt, slightly unnerved by its unblinking eyes. She hadn't thought she was altering the battle while in it. She had just done what had needed doing, despite the obstacles she faced._ You have a gift. _The chamber continued._ It is different from the gift of your mages, but no less powerful. Here you can alter illusions, force them to suit your will. Outside of these walls you can create illusions powerful enough to alter the fabric of reality.

 _Chiko felt her legs start to wobble, her body still weak from the exertion of the battle and the pain of her seemingly non-existent injury. On top of all that the chambers words were simply too much. She sat down hard in the dirt, sending puffs of dust into the air, and rested her head on her knees, trying to stop her head from swimming. A light breeze stirred, the air helping to clear away the dizziness she felt. After what seemed like hours, but could have been only minutes, Chiko lifted her head and stared into the unblinking yellow eyes. "I have the gift, that's all. And not even a very useful gift. I can't heal, I can't do battle magic. All I can do is create illusions."_

 _Again she felt the Chamber laugh, or what she took to be a laugh._ Is that what you believe mortal? Tell me, the illusions you create, has anyone ever broken them? _Chiko blinked, then slowly shook her head._ Even that mage, the one who tries to see my making.

 _"Numair? No, he's never tried though. I'm sure he could."_

That would not be possible. _The Chamber's voice was soft in her head._ You do not believe me mortal, but no mage of the human realm could break an illusion of yours without your consent. _Chiko got back to her feet and shook her head._

 _"That's not possible. I don't have that kind of magic. I think I would know if I were stronger than Numair."_

Very well. You should return to your bed mortal. Think over what I have told you though, and return. You have much to learn. _The world around her began to fade and Chiko found herself standing in a stone room as the door to the chapel opened again._


End file.
